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Our Company

The Company Inspired by a Guide Dog

Today, Hill's® Pet Nutrition carries on the tradition of caring that began in 1939 with one remarkable veterinarian. Our Healthy Advantage®, Prescription Diet®, Science Diet® and Ideal Balance™ pet foods offer the highest-quality pet nutrition available. We're making a difference for people and their pets all over the world.

The Hill's® pet food lines began in 1939. Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr. believed certain health conditions in pets could be managed through carefully formulated nutrition. His ideas were visionary in veterinary medicine, and he soon had the chance to prove his theory.

A young blind man named Morris Frank asked Dr. Morris if anything could be done to save his guide dog, Buddy, who was having kidney health issues. The result of Dr. Morris' efforts was the nutritional formulation that became the first product in the Hill's Prescription Diet line of therapeutic pet foods, and the world's first pet food designed for kidney health. Soon after, Hill's Pet Nutrition was founded and the field of clinical nutrition sprang to life. That first therapeutic dog food evolved into Hill's® Prescription Diet® k/d®, which is still sold today.

Vision

To make nutrition a cornerstone of veterinary medicine.

Mission

To help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets.

Philosophy

We believe all animals - from your pet to the companion animals we care for - should be loved and cared for during their lifetimes.

Hill's® Commitment to Animal Welfare

We believe quality care for pets includes optimal nutrition, veterinary healthcare, daily exercise
and an enriching environment with lots of love. All pets at Hill's Pet Nutrition live in such an environment.
We only use compassionate, non-invasive methods necessary to develop nutritional technology so dogs and cats
around the world live long, healthy lives. Our breakthroughs in pet nutrition are unmatched in the pet food
industry and we've built our business and reputation on always practicing the highest ethical standards.
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Nutritional Research and Innovation

Hill's® employs more than 150 veterinarians, Ph.D. nutritionists and food scientists who work every day around the world to create new products and improve existing ones that will help your pet live a long, healthy and full life. Hill's scientists author more than 50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine all over the world so we can put our knowledge and expertise into every Hill's® pet food for you.

Our foods for dogs and cats are formulated for the optimal balance of nutrients and best taste. We know the best nutrition for your pet not only meets nutritional needs, but also avoids excess nutrients, such as fat and salt, that can be harmful over time.

The Hill's® Pet Nutrition Center in Topeka, Kansas, is a state-of-the-art center that illustrates our commitment to improving the health of cats and dogs. In addition to a staff of veterinarians and board-certified specialists in nutrition and internal medicine, we also have a staff of companion pets. Our furry team members put our products to the test; ensuring pets get the most nutritious, best-tasting food available. In return, we give them everything a pet could want, including clean, roomy living quarters, exercise areas, an agility course and plenty of friends, both human and animal. Each pet has his own dedicated team. They develop a strong trust and human-animal bond, just like you and your pets do. Learn more about our commitment to animal welfare.

Consequently, our products have been trusted by millions of pet owners since 1948, and, today, veterinarians recommend and feed their own pets Hill's products more than any other brand of pet food.

The Search for Discovery that Defines Us

In 1928, Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr. established Raritan Hospital for Animals in Edison, New Jersey. At the time, this was one of only two small animal hospitals in the United States. Dr. Morris believed managing nutrition could have a positive effect on the health of companion animals. He developed the first Prescription Diet® pet food in an attempt to help one of America's first guide dogs who was suffering from kidney disease. Now decades later, Hill's® Pet Nutrition is working to bring pets long, healthy lives. Read the complete story of Hill's® Pet Nutrition.

The Story of Hill's® Pet Nutrition

We believe quality care for pets includes optimal nutrition, veterinary healthcare, daily exercise and an enriching environment with lots of love. All pets at Hill's® Pet Nutrition live in such an environment. We only use compassionate, non-invasive methods necessary to develop nutritional technology so dogs and cats around the world live long, healthy lives. Our breakthroughs in pet nutrition are unmatched in the pet food industry and we've built our business and reputation on always practicing the highest ethical standards.

Every day we prove that quality scientific technology and compassionate animal care go hand-in-hand for the improvement of pets' healthy lives. This is why Hill's® only supports and exercises the responsible, caring and humane treatment of dogs and cats. All studies conducted or supported by Hill's® - whether at the Hill's® Pet Nutrition Center or externally in consumers' homes, veterinary schools or elsewhere - must comply with the following stringent Hill's® policies to ensure exceptional animal care:

Hill's® does not participate in studies that jeopardize the health of dogs and cats. All Hill's®-supported studies are designed to maintain and improve the animals' health. No study will be performed on dogs or cats that requires euthanasia.

When studying how a nutrient is absorbed, distributed, stored, used and released by a dog's or cat's body, we only use research methods that are the veterinary equivalent of human nutritional or medical studies. Hill's® does not support or conduct studies that cause pain or hurt the dogs or cats. This is based on the belief that what is painful to humans is also painful to dogs and cats.

We only conduct studies if we have compelling evidence that we can improve the health and welfare of companion animals. These studies often result in breakthrough nutritional findings, improving the lives of millions of dogs and cats.

We continually strive to find ways to reduce dependence on animal research. A substantial number of dogs and cats participating in our feeding studies are involved in in-home tests. Our veterinarians and nutritionists are skilled at developing methods that simulate animal systems. For example, we have developed and published a mathematical formula, based on the nutrient profile of the food that accurately predicts the pH of feline or canine urine without animal testing.

To assure pet owners that our therapeutic foods are safe and effective, we support studies using pets with naturally occurring diseases or conditions. We do not participate in studies in which surgical or non-surgical methods are used to create or simulate disease conditions.

The Hill's® Pet Nutrition Center and any external facility Hill's® supports must meet or exceed all industry regulatory standards for animal care. For all studies conducted at external facilities, we appoint and fund pet advocates, responsible for ensuring each pet's compassionate care, which has the key components of providing exercise and a socially-enriched environment.

We publish the results of our studies to advance the knowledge of nutritional health care and to help prevent the unnecessary repetition of studies involving dogs and cats.

Hill's® only uses data from animal studies that are in the public domain, either previously published or were conducted under this Global Animal Welfare Policy.

Hill's Pet Nutrition Timeline

Take a look at Hill's through the years\!

1939

Morris Frank meets Dr. Morris Sr., at a luncheon and asks him to examine his guide dog Buddy. Dr. Morris diagnosed kidney failure. He believes Buddy can be helped with a food he had developed, and sends Mr. Frank home with Raritan Ration B. This food was the forerunner of Prescription Diet® k/d® Canine and is developed to help dogs with renal failure and insufficiency. Dr. Morris cans Raritan Ration B in glass jars.

1948

Dr. Mark Morris works with Burton Hill, of the Hill Packing Company, to can Canine k/d®, formerly known as Raritan Ration B and Canine p/d®, formerly known as Raritan Ration C. Dr. Morris establishes a charity for small animals that would later became known as Morris Animal Foundation - a foundation where animals are #1, and their welfare and health the sole, unwavering focus.

1949

Prescription Diet® i/d® is developed for gastrointestinal disorders in dogs. Prescription Diet® r/d® is developed for obesity in dogs.

1958

Hill Packing Company establishes plants in Kansas, South Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio, Arkansas, Massachusetts and Washington.

1968

1971

Prescription Diet® c/d® is developed for cats with lower urinary tract disease.

1976

Colgate-Palmolive Company acquires Riviana Foods.

1977

Prescription Diet® u/d® is developed for canine urinary tract disease due to calcium oxalate, urate and cystine.

1979

Science Diet® Senior developed for geriatric wellness.

1981

Bob Wheeler becomes President of Hill's® Pet Nutrition. Prescription Diet® s/d® is developed for canine urinary tract conditions due to struvite dissolution. The revolutionary new product could actually help the body dissolve certain types of bladder stones in dogs.

1983

First publication of the Small Animal Clinical Nutrition textbook, co-authored by Dr. Morris Jr., which would become the definitive text on nutrition for dogs and cats and used in veterinary colleges worldwide.

1987

Prescription Diet® w/d® is developed for pets needing weight control and fiber-responsive diseases and digestive troubles.

1992

Prescription Diet® a/d® is developed for assisted feeding and recovery.

1993

Dr. Mark Morris Sr. passed away at age 92.

1994

Prescription Diet® t/d® is developed for oral care.

1996

Science Diet® Large Breed Growth puppy formula is developed.

1998

Prescription Diet® n/d® is developed as the only therapeutic pet food clinically proven to increase the survival time of dogs undergoing a cancer treatment and improve their quality of life.

1999

2000

Prescription Diet® z/d® is developed for pets with food allergies. Science Diet® Sensitive Skin and Sensitive Stomach are developed.

2001

Prescription Diet® b/d® is developed with an exclusive blend of antioxidants to help combat signs of brain aging and improve the learning ability of older dogs.

2002

Hill's Science Diet Shelter Nutrition Partnership established.

2003

Prescription Diet® m/d® developed for cats who are in need of weight loss and/or who have diabetes. Science Diet® Advanced Protection® launches as an extraordinary line of pet foods with the highest levels of antioxidants of any pet food on the market.

2005

Prescription Diet® j/d® is developed for dogs with mobility problems. Science Diet® Indoor Cat is marketed.

2007

Dr. Mark Morris Sr.

Born in 1901, Dr. Morris was a founder of Hill's Pet Nutrition. A visionary in the area of clinical nutrition, he believed nutrition could be used to aid pets with certain diseases. At a time when most veterinary work revolved around farm animals, he cared for companion animals and their owners, opening Raritan Hospital for Animals in Edison, New Jersey, in 1928. This was the second exclusively small animal hospital in the United States.

Dr. Morris had new ideas for the management of diseases in companion animals. He worked with Dr. Jim Allison at Rutgers University's biochemistry department to develop techniques for diagnosing diseases in small animals. His ideas were new and not always well received, but Dr. Morris soon established himself as an expert in pet food.

After he joined with the Hill Packing Company in Topeka, Kansas, to can his pet foods, Dr. Morris established a charity for small animals. The Morris Animal Foundation continues to provide funding for small animal research, wildlife research and funding for veterinary student scholarships. Today it's the largest nonprofit foundation in the world for companion animal and wildlife health studies, with funds approaching $50 million since its founding in 1948.

Throughout his life, Dr. Morris was active in the small animal arena. He was the first president of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). He also led a committee to establish nutritional standards for pet foods and these efforts later formed the basis used today be the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).

Dr. Morris died in 1993 at the age of 92.

Dr. Mark Morris Jr.

Dr. Mark Morris Jr., son of Hill's Pet Nutrition founder Dr. Mark Morris Sr., continued the legacy his father began in pet nutrition.

Growing up in a house where his mother was cooking his father's Prescription Diet® pet foods, Mark Morris Jr., decided to continue his father's lifelong work in pet nutrition. Dr. Morris Jr., noticed a demand for consistent, high-quality pet food for use in research. At the time, pet food was not carefully regulated, so research scientists had difficulties maintaining the integrity of their work.

As a result, Dr. Morris Jr., developed a food formula for healthy pets. In 1968, the food line was made available through veterinarians and pet professionals as Hill's® Science Diet®. The line has continued to expand, and today includes more than 50 Science Diet brand pet foods and more than 60 Prescription Diet™ brand pet foods formulated for many life stages and special needs in healthy pets.

Dr. Morris Jr., is widely considered the father of small animal wellness nutrition, and also worked to establish standards for feeding prepared foods to zoo animals. He was a founding member of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN) and authored numerous publications on nutritional management of disease, lecturing around the world to practicing veterinarians, veterinary students and companion animal owners. Dr. Morris Jr., co-authored "Small Animal Clinical Nutrition," the definitive textbook for companion animal nutrition and the most widely used source on the subject around the world.

Dr. Morris Jr., died on Jan. 14, 2007 at the age of 72.

Hill's® Commitment to Animal Welfare

We believe quality care for pets includes optimal nutrition, veterinary healthcare, daily exercise and an enriching environment with lots of love. All pets at Hill's® Pet Nutrition live in such an environment. We only use compassionate, non-invasive methods necessary to develop nutritional technology so dogs and cats around the world live long, healthy lives. Our breakthroughs in pet nutrition are unmatched in the pet food industry and we've built our business and reputation on always practicing the highest ethical standards.

Every day we prove that quality scientific technology and compassionate animal care go hand-in-hand for the improvement of pets' healthy lives. This is why Hill's® only supports and exercises the responsible, caring and humane treatment of dogs and cats. All studies conducted or supported by Hill's® - whether at the Hill's® Pet Nutrition Center or externally in consumers' homes, veterinary schools or elsewhere - must comply with the following stringent Hill's® policies to ensure exceptional animal care:

Hill's® does not participate in studies that jeopardize the health of dogs and cats. All Hill's®-supported studies are designed to maintain and improve the animals' health. No study will be performed on dogs or cats that requires euthanasia.

When studying how a nutrient is absorbed, distributed, stored, used and released by a dog's or cat's body, we only use research methods that are the veterinary equivalent of human nutritional or medical studies. Hill's® does not support or conduct studies that cause pain or hurt the dogs or cats. This is based on the belief that what is painful to humans is also painful to dogs and cats.

We only conduct studies if we have compelling evidence that we can improve the health and welfare of companion animals. These studies often result in breakthrough nutritional findings, improving the lives of millions of dogs and cats.

We continually strive to find ways to reduce dependence on animal research. A substantial number of dogs and cats participating in our feeding studies are involved in in-home tests. Our veterinarians and nutritionists are skilled at developing methods that simulate animal systems. For example, we have developed and published a mathematical formula, based on the nutrient profile of the food that accurately predicts the pH of feline or canine urine without animal testing.

To assure pet owners that our therapeutic foods are safe and effective, we support studies using pets with naturally occurring diseases or conditions. We do not participate in studies in which surgical or non-surgical methods are used to create or simulate disease conditions.

The Hill's® Pet Nutrition Center and any external facility Hill's® supports must meet or exceed all industry regulatory standards for animal care. For all studies conducted at external facilities, we appoint and fund pet advocates, responsible for ensuring each pet's compassionate care, which has the key components of providing exercise and a socially-enriched environment.

We publish the results of our studies to advance the knowledge of nutritional health care and to help prevent the unnecessary repetition of studies involving dogs and cats.

Hill's® only uses data from animal studies that are in the public domain, either previously published or were conducted under this Global Animal Welfare Policy.

Our mission is to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships
between people and their pets by providing the best pet nutrition in the
world. And our commitment to pets extends deep into our community.
Our own Hill’s® Food Shelter & Love™ Program provides us with an
opportunity to live our mission statement while feeding over 100,000
homeless pets everyday. Since 2002, Hill’s® has assisted with over 7
million adoptions...and counting. We're proud to be part of this
program that brings pets and people together.Learn more about this program and how you can get involved.

Proper nutrition makes shelter pets happier, healthier and more adoptable. That's why
we offer shelters the opportunity to partner with us and receive exclusive discounts on
Science Diet® brand pet food for every pet in their care. We believe that making
premium nutrition accessible to every shelter - and every pet - helps send them home
faster.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. of Topeka, KS is voluntarily recalling 62 bags of Science Diet® Adult Small & Toy Breed™ dry dog food as they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The suspect product, part of a single production run, was distributed to 17 veterinary clinic and pet store customers in California, Hawaii and Nevada between April 24 and May 13, 2014.

Hill’s® Pet Nutrition Prescription Diet® c/d®Multicare is the only clinically tested food that dissolves struvite stonesin as little as 7 days and reduces the rate of recurrent episodes of feline idiopathic cystitissigns by 89 percent

Hill’s® Pet Nutrition announced today that it established a Disaster Relief Network through the Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love™ program that will enable Hill’s to quickly deploy pet food resources in case of an emergency.

The Minnesota Urolith Center (MUC) at the University of Minnesota celebrates the receipt of its 750,000 urolith, a struvite-calcium phosphate carbonate stone from a female Pomeranian dog living in Glen Burnie, Md., submitted by Dr. Lisa Jones and team at Animal Hospital at Southgate.